Col. Robert Joseph Coursey

Denver native Robert J. Coursey, a veteran of three wars, a family man and a fly fisherman, died March 28 at a Denver hospital after a short illness. He was 86. Born and raised in North Denver, he fell in love with flying as a young boy watching planes soar overhead. After graduating from Regis High School, he was studying law at Regis College when the attack on Pearl Harbor began World War II. He enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps a month later. He flew 50 combat missions over Europe as a B-17 pilot and squadron commander with the 15th Air Force, earning the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Bronze Star and the Air Medal with eight oak leaf clusters. He was celebrated as a hero upon his return to Denver in May 1944. He married Margie Gartland in June 1944, and they raised five children as the military kept their family on the move for the next 24 years, including his service in Korea and Vietnam. After his retirement in 1969, the family returned to Denver and he worked for eight years for the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment. In 1977, he opened Coursey Robinson men's clothing store in downtown Golden, which he operated for several years. An accomplished fly fisherman and golfer in his spare time, he and his wife lived at Hiwan in Evergreen for 30 years before returning to Denver in 2006. In addition to his wife, he is survived by his children; Sharon Oman, Sheilah Britton, Bob, Chris and Pete Coursey; his daughters-in-law, Su, Theresa and Sharon Coursey; his grandchildren, Bob, Erin, Shannon, Blake, David, Andrew, Diana, Colleen and Alex; and his great-grandchildren, Megan, Reeves, Kaden, Tyler, Greg and Lauren. A Memorial Mass will be at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday at Horan & McConaty Funeral Home, 5303 E. County Line Rd. in Centennial. His remains will rest with those of his fellow veterans at Arlington National Cemetery. Contributions may be made directly to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, P.O. Box 4072, Pittsfield, MA 01202 or through Shannon Coursey's Team in Training effort on behalf of the Society in this year's New York City Triathlon. Send those contributions to Shannon Coursey, 105 East 24th Street #1E, New York, NY 10010.